1,000 Prints till Midnight (A Story)
Featured guest article by Lyle Frink, PR consultant who’s skilled at simplifying the complex, engaging the mundane, and whose puns are always intended.
It was 5:50 PM and Alice had bad news for Bob. She needs him to have that newly revised report printed, compiled, and in place on the board members’ conference table first thing the next morning. Failure or delays were not an option. This was the project that their team has been working on for the last six months. It has to be done perfectly.
Bob had other ideas
Bob had other plans and a family. It was his daughter’s birthday and he had planned to be at home for a family celebration eating chocolate cake. It was a night for a clear distinction between work and private life. At least it was until 5:49 PM.
Printer math is ruthless
The math was daunting: Ten copies of a 120-page report, with pictures and graphs sprinkled throughout. This would require about 360 minutes at the printer — and still more time to check for any errors or omissions. Not included were allowances for mechanical issues. It was looking like Midnight at the Office — not at the Opera.
Technical landscape at the office
Bob’s prospects for joining his family celebration were looking dire. But once the initial shock and awe of the Alice demand faded, he realized there might be other options. Their company office did not just have one multi-functional printer. There were three of them, each in a different corner of the building. Theoretically, he could print part of the job at each, then run laps between devices to collect reports as completed. A marathon task, theoretically possible if the Gods of the IT permitted.
The bitter taste of budget reality
While printers could print, budgeting was a second issue. It was not clear if the HR and development offices would permit this report to be printed on their machines with their supplies. Technically possible, his plan was operationally dead.
Go tandem, go home
Last-minute demands and limited individual printer capacities are problems that the tandem function with MyQ is designed to solve. Using tandem printing would enable Bob and Alice to split their huge print job between each of the three MFPs in their building, slashing total job production time by two-thirds. In addition, the print jobs are all attributed to the Bob and Alice’s print budget, erasing disagreements between competing department budgets.
It is time for Bob to go tandem with MyQ — and go home.
About MyQ
MyQ makes the award-winning, universal MyQ Solution for secure print management and workflow optimization via printers and other multi-functional devices. Headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic, with additional branches in Austria, France, Germany, Russia, UAE, the UK, and the USA, MyQ works with the most-recognized global vendors in the printing industry. CIO Business World rates MyQ a “Top 100” Czech technology company. For more info, visit: www.myq-solution.com
About the author
Lyle Frink is a freelance PR and communications consultant based in Prague, Czech Republic. As both a punster and a wordsmith, he likes to simplify the message — and make it interesting — for a range of industries stretching from IT security to beer and automotive. His family includes a wife, three kids, and some chickens.
